Heritage’s memos to the President-elect
December 5, 2008| By David Talbot
President-elect Barack Obama campaigned on several issues important to conservatives, but it remains to be seen what policies he will ultimately enact.
Seeking common ground, The Heritage Foundation is reaching out to President-elect Barack Obama with specially designed policy memos on subjects where his words line up with our vision of how to solve the most critical issues facing America.
Heritage experts published the first four memos in the "Change We Believe In" series earlier this week. They cover these important issues: missile defense, health care, Iran and tax cuts.
- Moving Forward with Ballistic Missile Defense
by Baker Spring, Peter Brookes and James Carafano
President-elect Obama said, "In a world with nuclear weapons, America must continue efforts to defend against the mass destruction of its citizens and our allies." To meet this pledge, Heritage experts argue that the President-elect should continue development and deployment of ballistic missile defenses and establish proper roles for American allies. "The requirements of today's world," write the experts, "demand a strategy to protect and defend the U.S. and its allies. The Cold War strategy of retaliation-based deterrence is insufficient."
- Ensuring Access to Affordable Health Insurance
by Stuart Butler and Nina Owcharenko
President-elect Obama said, "If you already have insurance, the only thing that will change under my plan is that we will lower premiums. If you don't have health insurance, you'll be able to get the same kind of health insurance Members of Congress get for themselves." Heritage experts call this a "laudable theme" but draw attention to the enormous challenge of reforming health care to meet the needs of the public. "Americans demand choice," they remind the President-elect, "and if they are content with the coverage they have, they do not want it disrupted. Moreover, they resist the idea of a standardized system being imposed on them from Washington."
- Yes, a Nuclear Iran Is Unacceptable
by James Phillips and Peter Brookes
President-elect Obama said, "We cannot allow Iran to get a nuclear weapon…And I will do everything that's required to prevent it. And we will never take military options off the table." While this is a sound position, Heritage experts note that the President-elect has also argued for meetings with rogue regimes without preconditions, which would undermine American security. They propose a new strategy instead. "Targeted economic sanctions and the possible use of military force are you biggest sources of leverage," they recommend to the President-elect, and urge him to "rule out a presidential meeting with Iranian leaders until they have agreed to end their nuclear weapons efforts in a verifiable manner based on intrusive international inspections."
- Cutting Taxes to Promote Growth and Restore Fairness
by Alison Fraser and Curtis DuBay
President-elect Obama said, "I'll eliminate capital gains taxes for start-ups and small businesses, the engines of our job creation," and his website reads, "Barack Obama and Joe Biden's tax plan delivers broad-based tax relief to middle class families and cuts taxes for small businesses and companies that create jobs in America, while restoring fairness to our tax code and returning to fiscal responsibility." Heritage experts remind the President-elect that 95 percent of American workers now expect a real tax cut. To meet this worthy expectation, he should reduce marginal tax rates (for everyone), lower capital gains taxes and permanently end the death tax. The goal, argue Heritage experts, is to "allow all taxpayers to keep more of their money, improve fairness, and also take strong steps to encourage economic growth."
